A fine WordPress.com site

Monthly Archives: November 2013

Yesterday I had the unique opportunity to explore some private property in a beautiful sandhill habitat near Bronson, Florida. The site was newly acquired by friends of mine, and I’d been waiting for weeks to do some exploring there. Thus, I was full of anticipation for a great day in the field, since I knew I would find some neat critters… But I never would have guessed what I would end up finding!

Sandhill habitat near Bronson, Levy County, Florida, USA, 23-XI-2013

At about noon, in a small clearing in the Turkey Oak- Sand Live Oak- Longleaf Pine habitat, I saw a large gray spider running, then taking cover, some 25 feet or so away from where I was standing. I promptly headed over to find and photograph the spider. As with most well-camouflaged critters, it took me a few moments to spot the spider among the leaf litter.

As I was taking photos, I realized the spider was chewing on something, though I could not tell what, since I couldn’t get a clear view of its head. So I decided to tap the spider with my finger to see if I could get it to move into a different position, in order to figure out what it was eating, and to get better photos.

Wolf Spider, after being flushed from its initial hiding place

The spider was cooperative, and moved a short distance into an open area, with its legs evenly spread. I maneuvered myself to where I could get a good look at the spider’s face, then got on my belly for some clear shots. I could not believe what I saw! The spider was eating a Festive Tiger Beetle (Cicindela scutellaris unicolor)! Tiger Beetles are hard to sneak up on, and are even harder to catch! They are known for their running ability and fast flight- they are extremely wary… I’ve seen Robber Flies catch Tiger Beetles in flight before, but never imagined that a spider could sneak up on one at catch it!

Chelicerae piercing an elytron!

I observed the spider for several minutes, as I took photos. Then I repositioned the spider- with a gentle tap- again, and again, to get photos from different angles in different poses. At one point, the spider became startled by my tap and dropped the beetle carcass, but readily resumed feeding when I dangled the beetle remains in front of its chelicerae.

Chewing on the tiger beetle’s head!

Within a few short minutes, all that remained of the Tiger Beetle was a section of the head and the elytra, parts that were ultimately left behind.

Chelicerae meet mandibles!

The Festive Tiger Beetle is common in sandhill habitats in much of Florida, and is active, depending on the weather, from late September to April, passing the winter as adults and mating in the spring. They are some of the most brilliantly colored beetles in the region.

I’ve learned that whenever I have a really fantastic experience in the field, with a special critter, it is always worth going back for a second day to learn more. If you saw my original post on the Rosemary Grasshopper (Schistocerca ceratiola), you undoubtedly noticed that I was pretty excited about finally finding it- I’d been searching for months. But I only found one! My curiosity about the species was too much to bear, and I returned to the site two days later (this past Monday) to try to learn more about the Holy Grail of Florida grasshoppers!

I concentrated my time around stands of Florida Rosemary bushes (Ceratiola ericoides), and spent a lot of time visually inspecting the bushes, as well as beating them with my net handle in hopes of jostling the grasshoppers from deep within the bushes. Here is a dense stand of Florida Rosemary from Monday:

Stand of Florida Rosemary near Bronson, Levy County, Florida, 11 November 2013

Mid-morning, I flushed a male Rosemary Grasshopper as I walked past a partly shaded Rosemary bush. He settled on an exposed branch, giving me a clear view and great photo opportunity! But right as I was about to take the first shot, he jumped, and despite several minutes of searching, I could not find him again. Bummer!

It wasn’t until late afternoon that I found others. As I was beating the Rosemary bushes, something caught my eye among the moving vegetation. Something suspicious failed to jump upon my whacking of the vegetation, but remained at the tip of a Rosemary branch. As soon as I saw it, I froze in my tracks (as if that would do any good after beating the bush with my net handle), but there, holding on tight, was a mating pair of Rosemary Grasshoppers! And they were perched in a place where I could get some photos!

This pair of grasshoppers was a photographer’s dream, since they essentially refused to move, allowing me to take as many pics as I wanted! How lucky to come across a mating pair!!

After I had all the photos I needed of this pair, I carefully scanned the Rosemary bush they were perched on, and found a second male just a foot or so away, also clinging to the tip of a Rosemary Branch! He was not as cooperative for photos, but I could not help but wonder if he was involved in a (failed) courtship attempt with the female so close by.

Searches the rest of the afternoon turned up no additional Rosemary Grasshoppers. But I count myself as extremely lucky to have had more time observing this reclusive grasshopper, which is restricted to peninsular Florida, and learning more about its ways! I’ll never pass another Florida Rosemary bush without giving it a long, careful examination!

Like so many stories about insects, this adventure begins with a plant. A really cool plant! Florida Rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides) is endemic to Florida and adjacent states, and is an indicator of sand ridge and dune habitats. This is what a pristine sand ridge habitat in peninsular Florida looks like- complete with Florida Rosemary bushes:

Sand ridge habitat in Levy County, Florida

Despite its common name and appearance, Florida Rosemary is not related to culinary Rosemary (Rosmerinus officinalis), but for one particular grasshopper, it is just as tasty.

Florida Rosemary bushes can grow to 15 feet tall- the tallest here is about 6 feet

Florida Rosemary produces fresh vegetation throughout much of the summer and fall, providing a unique resource for a unique grasshopper. Would you believe there are grasshoppers hiding deep within these bushes? Big grasshoppers!

Unknown to science until 1928, the Rosemary Grasshopper is a large (28-32 mm in length) grasshopper in the genus Schistocerca. Grasshoppers in this genus are commonly called Bird Grasshoppers due to their large size and strong flight. Appropriately for the Rosemary Grasshopper (Schistocerca ceratiola), it was named after its unique foodplant (Ceratiola ericoides).

Unlike most grasshoppers, which are generalists that feed upon many plants, the Rosemary Grasshopper feeds only on Florida Rosemary! This grasshopper is very rarely seen, since it is usually active only at night. Add to this its extremely restricted distribution to pristine sand ridge habitats in central peninsular Florida (it does not range outside of the state), and the Rosemary Grasshopper is literally the Holy Grail of Florida grasshoppers!

After many months of beating rosemary bushes with the handle of my insect net, in hopes of jostling the Holy Grail of Florida grasshoppers, today I was finally successful! In the early afternoon, while routinely beating rosemary bushes, I flushed a large, grayish grasshopper, which immediately settled deep within a nearby rosemary bush. Upon settling within the bush, on the grey branches, it was almost invisible:

This grasshopper felt very much at home within the rosemary bush, and was reluctant to move when disturbed. I was able to part the rosemary branches to get a better view, and could even touch the grasshopper (it crawled onto my finger at one point)- at most it would jump to a nearby branch. Thus, we had several minutes together, as I attempted to photograph her in detail. I enjoyed watching her move, so very slowly, along the rosemary branches. Every time I took my eyes off of her, I literally lost her and had to make her jump to see her again!

Eye-to-eye with a Florida Rosemary grasshopper

Despite its long wings and strong flight, the Rosemary Grasshopper is extremely sedentary, and pretty much refuses to leave its rosemary bushes during daylight hours.

Side view of Rosemary Grasshopper, deep within a Florida Rosemary bush

After this chance encounter, I spent much of the rest of the afternoon searching nearby rosemary bushes for more grasshoppers. Five or six times I thought I saw one deep within a bush, but each time was a false alarm. For this large grasshopper to have hidden from science until 1928 at first seems remarkable, but after an afternoon observing one within a rosemary bush, I can understand why! The Rosemary Grasshopper is an incredible master of camouflage! It is also an incredibly unique part of a special, endangered Florida habitat. I’m so happy to have finally found one!